The author of the piece you shared, Dr. Gary Kohls, is the father of a dear friend, and she was very moved to see you had shared it, John. Gary was a regular columnist for "The Duluth Reader" for years—until they suddenly stopped publishing his work in early 2020 because he failed to fall in line with the COVID narrative. Here is it is from the original publication:
They did not even offer an explanation to Gary but simply blanked him as if he did not exist—yet another example of a physician/journalist being silenced. It shows that the message to suppress counternarrative truths went all the way down from the largest media outlets to little town papers like this one, all in perfect coordination globally.
Yes, thank you for catching that. I got some additional details from my friend, and she clarified they did publish some of his articles into 2021. My understanding is they used to automatically publish every article he submitted, and then they only published his articles on non-controversial topics (i.e., not COVID), and then they stopped publishing his columns altogether.
I can’t completely, no, I can’t accept that formulation of war.
It removes human agency, denies human agency, and at its root denies the existence and reality of Original Sin. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.’
That fact is the very reason and necessity for the Incarceration which we celebrate today.
Solzhenitsyn’s most famous aphorism puts it succinctly: ‘the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.’, and is perhaps the best modern exposition of the reality of human existence.
Great comment to a great essay. As the Ukraine narrative continued (and continues) to unfold, I am compelled to recall the Crimean War which, like World War I (the Spanish-American War, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Gulf War Two and the GWOT, ad nauseam) was a conflict born of obfuscation and outright fabrication. Ultimately, the explanation lives in the the aphorism that you quoted.
The question of war is very difficult. In the Old Testament, war was sometimes commanded to wipe out populations in the Promised Land that were wholly given over to evil, whereas neighboring populations that left Israel alone were likewise left alone. By the time of David most wars took place because different populations had attacked different parts of Israel.
This distinction can be helpful for us—so long as lies and propaganda are not employed to deceive people and thus generate a war spirit. A nation under attack is wrong to turn the other cheek because by doing so it fails in its first duty to its citizens. But it is also wrong to attack another nation, which is why so many more recent wars have been justified by deception.
Not buying Hilkiahanism. Hilkiah (Chilqiyah - "Saint Plunder") wrote Deuteronomy and Joshua, and his followers had a huge influence on much of the rest of the "Old Testament" ("Testament" refers to Abram dividing a heifer, a she goat of three years old, a ram of three years old, and killing, but not dividing, a turtledove, and a young pigeon).
Within his tome truth does roam and cannot be ignored. The rich and powerful of every culture sends out their young and poor,
To fight their wars and battles, to give their lives for what? Another cause they fight for, in which they cannot share, a class that sends them out to die, for a piece and peace not theirs.
Thank you for this. What a story. I think it was another WW1 survivor who said something along the lines of We should let the decision makers fight it out in a field somewhere and leave the rest alone. When will we wake up?
UNLEARNED LESSONS....Pretty much sums up that we have been at a non-stop war-term ideology in our USA politics forever. Non-stop so-called Nation Building. What a way to rule the world. Eh?
Today we CELEBRATE one of the GREATEST Gifts ever given:
The GREAT I AM condescended to "cloak Himself in human flesh and walk among us for a while"....in order to live a PERFECT life in our places, endure the torment and punishment that WE DESERVE, die an EXCRUCIATING death with HUMILITY, MERCY and GRACE...then RISE from the dead to prove that death has NO power over Him!
He did it all so that EVERY person HAS the opportunity to receive His MAGNIFICENT GIFT of SALVATION and spend eternity with Him in PERFECT peace and joy.
Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, PLEASE join me in PRAYING for selflessness, strength and guidance in how each of us can serve Him better going forward and in turn shine His light into the darkness of this world....
Many years ago (1960's?) my ex-father in law told me about his experience at the Christmas Truce. He was a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He talked about sharing cigarettes and chocolate with a young German soldier and the peace of that night. They were both homesick and questioning the war. I thought it was a beautiful story but I couldn't comprehend how a world war could stop for one night....he died before the story came out, I wish I could have learned more about that night from him.
If one can look at the human species from a bird's eye view, objectively, - war and peace is a never ending cycle that can never be stopped.
Its amplitudes can be tempered but it depends on the recognition that currently, in the state of cumulative self-awareness of humanity, we are far from it.
In essence, reproduction and destruction are complementary opposites that originate in human genetics.
Since we are the superior species; that is, there’s no superior and stronger species that can exterminate us, we are endowed with internal genetic “tolerances" to maintain balance: alignment with the natural order and flow.
What this means is that whenever reproduction rises above a certain threshold there will be an increase in death and destruction, and vice versa, when there’s extinction, there will be an increase in the reproductive potential of the human species.
It’s a genetic tension that always exists beneath the surface. This genetic tension also exists between ourselves, within the same tribe.
War, death and destruction happen all the time. Look at what’s happening in Africa now (and what happened in Africa when the Ukraine war started, and in general, what has been happening there for eons of time - the rapacious annihilation and cleansing ethnic tribes and theft by more developed western “tribes”); what has been happening for decades with the Uighurs and Falun Gong in China to name a few.
And yet, the general public's attention doesn’t go there. It does not go there because wars are also motivated by economic interests. And those driven by economic interests are also wars to shape public opinion in order to continue and further them. There’s always someone who benefits from the destruction of others.
That, too, is an integral part of what it is to be human. Because this is also a genetic aspect of the human race. This is to show that there are all kinds of contradictions within us. That's why it's not an easy thing to be human.
Indeed, we don't fly like a bird from above, but on the ground, and therefore, when we are on the side experiencing extermination it is very difficult to be objective. War is indeed a terrible thing indeed. But I know that this is not what makes us terrible. It’s the denial of these opposing forces; the attempt to eradicate one or ignore the other, that does.
You can't take away the killer monkey that is within each of us because this is not for us to choose. These vehicles, our bodies, are able to make love as well as to maim and kill. It’s predetermined in the specifications of the vehicle before we inhabit it. All our civilizations and the privilege we’ve come to enjoy today are a byproduct of bloodshed, killing and death as well as peace, love and birth. One goes with the other. It's the wheel of life of what it is to be human. It is what it is.
It's exactly this belief that one should, and can be isolated from the other, - the desire to reach permanence of altruistic hegemony, goodness and peace - is what leads to distortion: The madness of humanity.
It was never about denying our killer qualities within, but being able to accept and see them for what they are, and by that, transcend them. The moment one accepts the killer within, as part of their nature, only then is it possible to transcend it.
It brings the potential for the development of awareness. Then, it's not like killing ceases. It’s that these distortions cease to manifest. An equilibrium between these opposing forces emerges, just like one sees in nature.
Just as one never sees a hawk preys on 50 hares in one go, where it can only consume one at a time; or a lioness who never brings cubs into the world, to which she immediately abandons, so here.
Everything falls to the right place. No more, no less.
What do you think happens when someone comes to kill, rape or kidnap you or one of your family?! Do you think you’re going to philosophize with them?!
And I believe herein lies the rub.
We are binary consciousness, believing, however, we’re singular. The body’s consciousness is a much superior “computer” that takes care of life itself, to which we don’t have direct access. It’s in this vehicular consciousness that the template for killing and violence, as well as making love and being empathetic, lies.
The mind, on the other hand, is a serial computer designed to see and measure, to which we have direct access.
To the mind, the world is dissected to singular parts; the good and the bad.
To the body, the world is one, where good and bad are a continuum; oppositions that are always intertwined.
So to the mind, - that thing that we’re deeply identified with as who we think we are - it’s all terrible. Killing and death are terrible. But without death there’s no birth. Without killing there’s no growth.
This statement nowadays may be perceived as blasphemy. Humanity loves to preach for goodness and peace and “democracy” - all the goodies and whatnot - incessantly. And yet, when you look at the world you see more distortions: death, violence, dehumanization and destruction.
To me, it’s clear that this dissonance is a reflection of the expansive dissonance between mind and body within ourselves. The roles have been reversed.
It’s due to the vanity of the mind that has assumed superiority and dominance over something it has no capacity to do. You know, the conviction that a mental formula can be draped over society from the top down, expecting life in the field to align to the T in days. And when it doesn’t, to double down (Covid, Climate agenda, war in the name of “democracy”, etc.).
On the way to get there, however, destruction, death and incumbrance for years to come only exacerbate, in spite of our good intentions.
It always comes back to the same place: Lack of self awareness is the root of ignorance; the engine of suffering.
Except for a tiny percentage of the human population, if you asked each individual, they would say the same thing; that they don’t consider themselves killers, and that they don’t contemplate a desire for killing just for nothing; just because.
And yet, how come there’s so much killing in our world?
The teenager who is being drafted to the army, since it’s mandated by the law in his country, which sustains a certain flow of upbringing, - that particular individual, when drafted, doesn’t think to himself “I can’t wait to kill”. In most cases he wonders what skills and comradery he may acquire that could be utilized later in his life. And yet, two years later he finds himself thrusted into a situation that mandates a “kill or be killed” reality in which he has no choice but bring out the killer in him to the forefront.
Trillions of animals have been butchered by Man in order to sustain the human species. Without the butchering of these animals, the human species and it intelligence could not have been developed to the way it is today,
Many of us have experienced anger and rage in a fight with a loved one in which we’ve contemplated them being killed, to satisfy our desire for justice (emotional resolution).
What I’m trying to show, by these three different examples, is that the capacity to take a life is something mechanical that is deeply inherent in the specification of our biological vehicle.
What we come up with as psychology to explain the mechanics, are merely relative perspectives; the this and that. Oftentimes, however, they distort it rather than bring a possibility to see it for what it is and by that, acquiesce or equalize this tension.
It’s the identification with one side of the binary or the denial of the mechanism for the price of assumed civility and moral superiority, that actually does the reverse. It enhances the distortion; the killing for nothing.
When I wrote earlier that: “it all comes down to the same thing: lack of self awareness.” It wasn't accurate. It’s actually self-knowledge, or the lack of it that is the culprit for this distortion on our planet.
GOD bless you, Peter and John. Thank you for all that you both do!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 ESV
The Greatest day of all creation has come, and the most precious moment ever imagined has arrived, an event like none other, an occasion that would forever change the world, bringing true peace and glad tidings. What could this be but a tiny Baby, born in innocence, surrounded by glory, and wrapped in love as all the angels sing from the highest heavens above.
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT
The author of the piece you shared, Dr. Gary Kohls, is the father of a dear friend, and she was very moved to see you had shared it, John. Gary was a regular columnist for "The Duluth Reader" for years—until they suddenly stopped publishing his work in early 2020 because he failed to fall in line with the COVID narrative. Here is it is from the original publication:
• https://duluthreader.com/articles/2019/12/26/114143-tragically-unlearned-lessons-from-world-war-i-the
They did not even offer an explanation to Gary but simply blanked him as if he did not exist—yet another example of a physician/journalist being silenced. It shows that the message to suppress counternarrative truths went all the way down from the largest media outlets to little town papers like this one, all in perfect coordination globally.
Thanks for sharing this, Margaret Anna Alice.
Relatedly, I'm sure you've seen this, but perhaps many readers have not:
"ON JOURNALISM: I know why the caged birds don't sing" by Doc Pruyne, April 8, 2023.
https://docpruyne.substack.com/p/on-journalism-i-know-why-the-caged
Includes a link to the PDF:
https://www.covid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Paid%20Media%20List%20for%20Posting%207.12.22_508c.pdf
A year later, but apparently yes.
Yes, thank you for catching that. I got some additional details from my friend, and she clarified they did publish some of his articles into 2021. My understanding is they used to automatically publish every article he submitted, and then they only published his articles on non-controversial topics (i.e., not COVID), and then they stopped publishing his columns altogether.
I sent them a nastygram about their shameful depopulationist agenda.
When did that incredibly rude Jim Lundstrom turn the Duluth Reader into a worthless rag?
Merry Christmas to everyone on this site.
I can’t completely, no, I can’t accept that formulation of war.
It removes human agency, denies human agency, and at its root denies the existence and reality of Original Sin. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.’
That fact is the very reason and necessity for the Incarceration which we celebrate today.
Solzhenitsyn’s most famous aphorism puts it succinctly: ‘the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.’, and is perhaps the best modern exposition of the reality of human existence.
Great comment to a great essay. As the Ukraine narrative continued (and continues) to unfold, I am compelled to recall the Crimean War which, like World War I (the Spanish-American War, Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Gulf War Two and the GWOT, ad nauseam) was a conflict born of obfuscation and outright fabrication. Ultimately, the explanation lives in the the aphorism that you quoted.
The question of war is very difficult. In the Old Testament, war was sometimes commanded to wipe out populations in the Promised Land that were wholly given over to evil, whereas neighboring populations that left Israel alone were likewise left alone. By the time of David most wars took place because different populations had attacked different parts of Israel.
This distinction can be helpful for us—so long as lies and propaganda are not employed to deceive people and thus generate a war spirit. A nation under attack is wrong to turn the other cheek because by doing so it fails in its first duty to its citizens. But it is also wrong to attack another nation, which is why so many more recent wars have been justified by deception.
All of this that you document took place after the Fall. David was a man after God’s own heart; he was also an adulterer and a murderer.
I do believe in the just war theory.
All a consequence of the Fall.
Not buying Hilkiahanism. Hilkiah (Chilqiyah - "Saint Plunder") wrote Deuteronomy and Joshua, and his followers had a huge influence on much of the rest of the "Old Testament" ("Testament" refers to Abram dividing a heifer, a she goat of three years old, a ram of three years old, and killing, but not dividing, a turtledove, and a young pigeon).
Only him who has been given a second birth and has assurance of eternal life and then not consistently this side of heaven.
Within his tome truth does roam and cannot be ignored. The rich and powerful of every culture sends out their young and poor,
To fight their wars and battles, to give their lives for what? Another cause they fight for, in which they cannot share, a class that sends them out to die, for a piece and peace not theirs.
Thank you for this. What a story. I think it was another WW1 survivor who said something along the lines of We should let the decision makers fight it out in a field somewhere and leave the rest alone. When will we wake up?
Excellent post John. My grandfather spoke of that marvelous event
Merry Christmas!
Danny Huckabee
Another great post on Courageous Discourse!
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas indeed, back at you
UNLEARNED LESSONS....Pretty much sums up that we have been at a non-stop war-term ideology in our USA politics forever. Non-stop so-called Nation Building. What a way to rule the world. Eh?
Today we CELEBRATE one of the GREATEST Gifts ever given:
The GREAT I AM condescended to "cloak Himself in human flesh and walk among us for a while"....in order to live a PERFECT life in our places, endure the torment and punishment that WE DESERVE, die an EXCRUCIATING death with HUMILITY, MERCY and GRACE...then RISE from the dead to prove that death has NO power over Him!
He did it all so that EVERY person HAS the opportunity to receive His MAGNIFICENT GIFT of SALVATION and spend eternity with Him in PERFECT peace and joy.
Followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, PLEASE join me in PRAYING for selflessness, strength and guidance in how each of us can serve Him better going forward and in turn shine His light into the darkness of this world....
Many years ago (1960's?) my ex-father in law told me about his experience at the Christmas Truce. He was a member of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He talked about sharing cigarettes and chocolate with a young German soldier and the peace of that night. They were both homesick and questioning the war. I thought it was a beautiful story but I couldn't comprehend how a world war could stop for one night....he died before the story came out, I wish I could have learned more about that night from him.
If one can look at the human species from a bird's eye view, objectively, - war and peace is a never ending cycle that can never be stopped.
Its amplitudes can be tempered but it depends on the recognition that currently, in the state of cumulative self-awareness of humanity, we are far from it.
In essence, reproduction and destruction are complementary opposites that originate in human genetics.
Since we are the superior species; that is, there’s no superior and stronger species that can exterminate us, we are endowed with internal genetic “tolerances" to maintain balance: alignment with the natural order and flow.
What this means is that whenever reproduction rises above a certain threshold there will be an increase in death and destruction, and vice versa, when there’s extinction, there will be an increase in the reproductive potential of the human species.
It’s a genetic tension that always exists beneath the surface. This genetic tension also exists between ourselves, within the same tribe.
War, death and destruction happen all the time. Look at what’s happening in Africa now (and what happened in Africa when the Ukraine war started, and in general, what has been happening there for eons of time - the rapacious annihilation and cleansing ethnic tribes and theft by more developed western “tribes”); what has been happening for decades with the Uighurs and Falun Gong in China to name a few.
And yet, the general public's attention doesn’t go there. It does not go there because wars are also motivated by economic interests. And those driven by economic interests are also wars to shape public opinion in order to continue and further them. There’s always someone who benefits from the destruction of others.
That, too, is an integral part of what it is to be human. Because this is also a genetic aspect of the human race. This is to show that there are all kinds of contradictions within us. That's why it's not an easy thing to be human.
Indeed, we don't fly like a bird from above, but on the ground, and therefore, when we are on the side experiencing extermination it is very difficult to be objective. War is indeed a terrible thing indeed. But I know that this is not what makes us terrible. It’s the denial of these opposing forces; the attempt to eradicate one or ignore the other, that does.
You can't take away the killer monkey that is within each of us because this is not for us to choose. These vehicles, our bodies, are able to make love as well as to maim and kill. It’s predetermined in the specifications of the vehicle before we inhabit it. All our civilizations and the privilege we’ve come to enjoy today are a byproduct of bloodshed, killing and death as well as peace, love and birth. One goes with the other. It's the wheel of life of what it is to be human. It is what it is.
It's exactly this belief that one should, and can be isolated from the other, - the desire to reach permanence of altruistic hegemony, goodness and peace - is what leads to distortion: The madness of humanity.
It was never about denying our killer qualities within, but being able to accept and see them for what they are, and by that, transcend them. The moment one accepts the killer within, as part of their nature, only then is it possible to transcend it.
It brings the potential for the development of awareness. Then, it's not like killing ceases. It’s that these distortions cease to manifest. An equilibrium between these opposing forces emerges, just like one sees in nature.
Just as one never sees a hawk preys on 50 hares in one go, where it can only consume one at a time; or a lioness who never brings cubs into the world, to which she immediately abandons, so here.
Everything falls to the right place. No more, no less.
It’s in all of us.
What do you think happens when someone comes to kill, rape or kidnap you or one of your family?! Do you think you’re going to philosophize with them?!
And I believe herein lies the rub.
We are binary consciousness, believing, however, we’re singular. The body’s consciousness is a much superior “computer” that takes care of life itself, to which we don’t have direct access. It’s in this vehicular consciousness that the template for killing and violence, as well as making love and being empathetic, lies.
The mind, on the other hand, is a serial computer designed to see and measure, to which we have direct access.
To the mind, the world is dissected to singular parts; the good and the bad.
To the body, the world is one, where good and bad are a continuum; oppositions that are always intertwined.
So to the mind, - that thing that we’re deeply identified with as who we think we are - it’s all terrible. Killing and death are terrible. But without death there’s no birth. Without killing there’s no growth.
This statement nowadays may be perceived as blasphemy. Humanity loves to preach for goodness and peace and “democracy” - all the goodies and whatnot - incessantly. And yet, when you look at the world you see more distortions: death, violence, dehumanization and destruction.
To me, it’s clear that this dissonance is a reflection of the expansive dissonance between mind and body within ourselves. The roles have been reversed.
It’s due to the vanity of the mind that has assumed superiority and dominance over something it has no capacity to do. You know, the conviction that a mental formula can be draped over society from the top down, expecting life in the field to align to the T in days. And when it doesn’t, to double down (Covid, Climate agenda, war in the name of “democracy”, etc.).
On the way to get there, however, destruction, death and incumbrance for years to come only exacerbate, in spite of our good intentions.
It always comes back to the same place: Lack of self awareness is the root of ignorance; the engine of suffering.
Except for a tiny percentage of the human population, if you asked each individual, they would say the same thing; that they don’t consider themselves killers, and that they don’t contemplate a desire for killing just for nothing; just because.
And yet, how come there’s so much killing in our world?
The teenager who is being drafted to the army, since it’s mandated by the law in his country, which sustains a certain flow of upbringing, - that particular individual, when drafted, doesn’t think to himself “I can’t wait to kill”. In most cases he wonders what skills and comradery he may acquire that could be utilized later in his life. And yet, two years later he finds himself thrusted into a situation that mandates a “kill or be killed” reality in which he has no choice but bring out the killer in him to the forefront.
Trillions of animals have been butchered by Man in order to sustain the human species. Without the butchering of these animals, the human species and it intelligence could not have been developed to the way it is today,
Many of us have experienced anger and rage in a fight with a loved one in which we’ve contemplated them being killed, to satisfy our desire for justice (emotional resolution).
What I’m trying to show, by these three different examples, is that the capacity to take a life is something mechanical that is deeply inherent in the specification of our biological vehicle.
What we come up with as psychology to explain the mechanics, are merely relative perspectives; the this and that. Oftentimes, however, they distort it rather than bring a possibility to see it for what it is and by that, acquiesce or equalize this tension.
It’s the identification with one side of the binary or the denial of the mechanism for the price of assumed civility and moral superiority, that actually does the reverse. It enhances the distortion; the killing for nothing.
When I wrote earlier that: “it all comes down to the same thing: lack of self awareness.” It wasn't accurate. It’s actually self-knowledge, or the lack of it that is the culprit for this distortion on our planet.
As a man who absolutely HATES "gay frogs" once said, "We're in an information war!!!"
Merry Christmas, everyone. Stay frosty, my friends.
Agree with overarching premise and need to see all your sources substantiating your Catholic and Protestant warmongimg claims. Thank you
Did they speak out against these wars?
GOD bless you, Peter and John. Thank you for all that you both do!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 ESV
The Greatest day of all creation has come, and the most precious moment ever imagined has arrived, an event like none other, an occasion that would forever change the world, bringing true peace and glad tidings. What could this be but a tiny Baby, born in innocence, surrounded by glory, and wrapped in love as all the angels sing from the highest heavens above.
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT
Merry Christmas! GOD bless you all!
OH HOLY NIGHT | From Nazareth sang in Hebrew - Arabic - English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR_7RoJIGAg
AMEN!